There are so many already aired holiday ads, and the stores have had their winter holiday aisles up since just after Labor Day. Retailers certainly won’t let us forget that the holidays are almost upon us. Our email inboxes are already full of coupons for holiday cards and ideas for holiday meals. So, have you made your appointment for your family holiday photo yet? Are YOU ready for the holidays?

Without putting the horse before the cart, here is a checklist of items you can do now so that you are not overwhelmed as the holiday season arrives.

Get out your holiday recipes. Check your pantry to make sure you have what you need so you don’t have to run to the store in the midst of holiday food prep.

Plan your Thanksgiving meal. Order your turkey, if that’s what’s on the menu. Your butcher will thank you for not waiting until the last minute.

Also plan your holiday baking. You can easily make breads and cookies now and freeze them for future use.

Buy containers for freezer meals, holiday gifts and baked goods. The stores are full of holiday themed disposable ware.

Take stock of your china, holiday tablecloths, serving pieces and stemware. If you need additional items you have plenty of time to look for sales.

Review your address book. Update any changes and count how many holiday cards you need to order. It’s also not too early to start writing your holiday letter.

Make your gift list and plan your budget. Look through your wrapping supplies and see if you need extra tissue paper, ribbons and bows.

Make travel arrangements if you will be visiting family out of town. Service your car so that it is ready for the trek to Grandma’s house.

If you are hosting family, check your supply of extra linens, towels and throw blankets. Schedule carpet cleaning, window washing and a professional house cleaning so that your home is sparkling.

And finally, don’t forget to plan for a haircut, and a mani/pedi so that you start the holiday season relaxed and looking great.

For those of us who are not having Labor Day weekend parties but have instead planned camping trips here are a few tips to make the holiday as enjoyable as possible. Labor Day is such a busy camping time that it’s crucial to make reservations at the campground of your choice in advance. Waiting until the last minute is likely to leave you scrambling to find a spot for the weekend.

Please check the weather. Your local television station will have up-to-date forecasts. Pack clothing and camping gear depending on the weather. If it’s predicted to be cold, pack warm clothing, long-sleeves and pants. If the weather is going to be hot, opt for shorts and tank tops. But, keep in mind that you’ll need to pack at least one warm outfit for each person, because nights can be cool during Labor Day weekend. It’s also imperative to pack bug spray, wet wipes, toilet paper and a first aid kit.

Plan your menu. Do you have a camping stove or will you be cooking directly over the fire? This is an important difference. If you are cooking over an open fire, pre make many of your meals as possible, wrap them in foil and reheat. Burritos are an especially easy option in this situation. If you have a stove, the world is your oyster. Don’t forget to pack paper towels and dish soap for easy cleanups. A huge container of water for cleaning, drinking and brushing your teeth is also a necessity.

Since you will be “unplugging” from the real world you’ll want to bring a deck of cards, a football or a Frisbee for entertainment.

And most importantly, bring marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate. It’s never a good camping trip without making smores.

For most of us, the holidays are one of the few times in the year when we use our formal dining rooms for family meals. With the trend to dens, home offices and open floor plans, many newer homes do not have a formal dining room. Decorating a formal dining room or a dining area in a traditional style is a lovely way to create a special feeling for family gatherings and holiday meals.

This dining room has many lovely traditional design features that give it a formal feeling. You can capture the formal feeling even if your dining room opens onto your kitchen or entryway. Painting the walls or a focal wall is one way to give your dining room a formal or traditional feeling. Installing molding is an easy DIY project. Embellishing the area below the chair rail with molding or batten and board can bring traditional style to the wall. Painting the area below the chair rail a lighter color than the wall above would be another very traditional element.

Traditional style dining chairs and table are a must for a formal dining room. The style of these chairs is a classic choice. Other formal touches could be added in wall sconces or a chandelier above the table. Curtains to frame the window give the window a finished look. Even panels flanking the large window would work, too. An area rug under the table is also traditional element that would add pattern and color to the room.

Cookie decorating is a great holiday activity for the kids, your friends, and pretty much anyone involved. Make it a cookie decorating party!

Baking Cookies: You could bake the cookies the night before so there’s less hassle the day of the party. Another option is to have everyone bring his or her own special batch of cookies so you have a variety of holiday cookies.

Decorating Stations: Have everyone pick a few cookies and set up stations so people can get up and move around to mingle with everyone. Set up an icing station with multiple icing colors in containers, a sprinkles space, and an area for miscellaneous cookie decorations.

Include the Kids: Set a table up just for the kids with all of the essential decorating tools in the middle so everyone can enjoy. If you keep the cookie decorations in one place it helps with the clean up, too. Put down a plastic tablecloth or one that you won’t mind getting a little dirty, just in case.

Adults Only: If you would prefer a more grown up approach to the cookie decorating party, just add a drink station for adults only.

Cookie decorating is fun for everyone! To make the party a little more interesting, have a prize for the best-decorated cookie at the end of the night. It’s always nice to see your friends and families’ creative talents on a delicious cookie that can be devoured in a few bites! We hope you’re enjoying this time of the year!

Imagining a new room or remodel is part of the fun. While choosing finishes and materials can be overwhelming at times, looking at samples can be one of the most enjoyable things about the design process. Walking into one of our stores is like walking into a candy store for a kid. There are so many beautiful options and infinite combination possibilities await.

If you are redoing a house, a room or just adding new flooring for the holidays, getting samples is a must. Having some idea of what you are looking for before you go to the store is also a must. Pull together ideas online on a Pinterest board, magazines, or create your own workbook here. Knowing what direction you want to go in will save you time and sometimes money on your project.

Setting a budget and accounting for overages should be done before you begin to look at materials. Most home projects will go over budget—so account for overages in your initial calculations. This is another reason samples are important. Being able to take home a carpet, wood floor, tile or even upholstery sample can save you time and money in the end. It allows you to visualize your room better. Making the wrong decision in material, size, or color can be an expensive error. If you want to decorate or remodel your home for holidays, we’ve got an amazing holiday offer going on now until December 9th, 2012! Here is more detailed information for your Holiday Home Makeover.

If you are working on multiple surfaces, pull all your samples together so you can see how the different materials work together or don’t work together. Paint, flooring, upholstery and tile samples can give you a sense of the overall design in a small format. You can also try out our Virtual Room Designer to help envision your room with all of these elements.

Are you entertaining family and friends for this year’s holiday season? Did you not get to finish or even start your home’s summer to-do list?

We can help get your house ready for the upcoming busy season so you can truly enjoy celebrating with loved ones! Even if you’re not planning on entertaining the whole gang this year, now, is still a great time to cross a few home maintenance items off of that list.

We’ve got a huge selection of in-stock materials and fantastic deals on the latest styles. Take a look at some of these fabulous deals:

A roaring fire, chestnuts roasting, cookies baking in the oven and snow falling outside. Yes, it’s holiday time again and you know what that means. Your family is about to descend on your home. Now is the time to make those home improvements that have been on your to-do list forever. Rest assured, we have your back and even better, we have several great products on sale!

The Distinctive Laminate flooring collection from the Allure Collection is a great way to add value to your home. Laminate flooring brings a rich and elegant look while it “lives” worry free. This beautiful alternative to traditional hardwood flooring is perfect for anyone who is budget conscious, time crunched and style savvy.

Have you been dreaming of brightening up the backsplash in your kitchen, or adding a pop of color to your bathroom? Glass tiles are the perfect way to add a new design element. They can be mixed and matched with any ceramic wall tile to add depth and interest to your chosen area.

Carpet tiles are perfect for a basement or rec room are also being featured during our Holiday Sale. They can also be replaced by individual tile, so no need to replace the entire room’s worth of carpet! How great is that?!?

To learn more about how to make a few home improvements before the holidays please visit us and see our great holiday deals! We are here waiting to help make your home more beautiful than ever – just in time for those delicious family dinners, caroling and decking the halls.

Winter can be fun. Taking a walk with snow lightly falling, hot cocoa on a cold night, toasty hand-knitted sweaters, hats and scarves to help hold back the chill. But after the holidays, many people find themselves ready for warm weather. This blog is especially designed for those people.

To remember summer, we have a visual aid. Take a look at this inviting porch. It takes only a little bit of imagination to see yourself sitting in one of those chairs drinking a long cool glass of lemonade or iced tea.

Why don’t you just sit there and sip your drink while we take a look at what makes this picture so appealing, not counting the sunshine? This porch was created with color and design in mind. To begin with, the natural wood floor works beautifully with the lightly whitewashed brick walls. Notice the mossy green tones of the home’s siding – a perfect fit to link the floor and wall together.

With all those natural tones, this porch could look dull, but the bright clear white trim, ceiling railings and columns add a fresh contrasting note. That white is echoed in the chairs, for an extra touch of welcome.

Well, we can’t live in this photo much longer, but maybe there are some ideas here to help keep your home sunny and welcoming during the rest of the winter months. And if we do that, can spring be far behind?

The holiday season is filled with different activities that only come around once a year. Decorating for the holidays should be fun, not a chore. Keep the following tips in mind when decorating your home for the festive season!

1. Don’t procrastinate: The longer you wait to get your decorating complete, the less time you have to enjoy your hard work. Don’t spend more time planning and shopping than you actually do decorating. An abundance of planning and shopping makes you tired before the real work even starts. Don’t over think your decorating plan, this type of decorating is temporary. Make your life easy, don’t take it too seriously and have fun! Make putting up and taking down holiday decorations a family affair tradition. Things will get done faster. When families accomplish tasks as a team, it brings them closer.

2. Focus: When decorating, start with a focal point. Rooms naturally have an area that is seen first by viewers due to architectural details and their locations. Larger rooms can have more than one focal point. When you begin, start with decorating the room’s natural focal point (for example: the fire place, windows, and built in bookcases with decorative moldings). Keep in mind that the whole room does not need to be decorated. Focus on what people notice and spend your time on those areas. Don’t create too much work for yourself!

3. Get inspired: Holiday color schemes are not restricted to the typical red, white and green. Use creative color schemes using bright colors in combination with a metallic color such as silver and/or gold (for example: green, purple and silver). Fresh new looks are exciting and notice-worthy. Have some fun and take some risks!

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